The size of your family is something else to think about here, and how much washing you need to hang up at a time. A heavy-duty retractable washing line with multiple lines like the Brabantia wallfix, or the Better 35m washing line, is more likely to suit your needs here than our best overall- Vileda’s cordomatic, as it only has a single, 15 metre, line.

You can now buy retractable washing lines with more than one line. In fact, our choice for the best budget washing line for large families, the Better 35m heavy duty model, has four separate lines.At 8 metres long this is far from the longest washing line in this list, but considering it is completely portable, it’s a good size and more than enough for a small family on a caravan holiday or camping trip. It’s not going to be enough for huge loads like the Better heavy duty washing line of the Wallfix, but then again, it’s not meant to.

Autumn Statement: Workers to pay less in national insurance – but rate cuts don't offset the freezing of personal tax thresholds Don’t get tripped up on install – there’s every chance you won’t be happy with the fixings provided. Whilst I appreciate many have done just fine, I really don’t think the fixings they give you work well at all for wooden structures. As I allude to in my Vileda Automatic Retractable Clothes Line review, you will want to get some decent wood screws – anything over 40mm will do you just fine. For concrete I think the fixing kits are just about OK – you’ll need a 6 or 7mm SDS bit from all of the kits that I tested in this review. Worth knowing as you’ll be pulling your hair out if you don’t have one! Build quality But on the downside don’t be fooled, you’ll need an area of 2m by 2m to fit this washing line in, it’s no small compact unit at all. It’s just a different retracting method but if you’re looking for something to put up against a patio or conservatory that’s easy access then it might be what you’re looking for. Here’s a look at that install and demo process – I warn, the music might annoy you so turn your volume down!Extra hanger hooks - With a big drying space, this dryer can be used for your delicates too with small hooks in place. So, you’ve aways got a large load to dry at once, but you can’t bring yourself to shell out for the Brabantia Wallfix. Not to worry, this 35 metre heavy duty retractable washing line from Better (yes, that’s the name they chose for their brand, and not my opinion) is an excellent alterative. Let me just be clear about the 35 metre thing. It’s not one single line that runs for 35 metres, but 5 parallel lines of 7 metres each. This keeps things quite compact, and so you don’t need to have a garden the size of a tennis court to use this model. If you’re an outdoorsy type, you’re probably here for something to take camping with you, and if that’s so, we recommend the toctax retractable washing line. The reason being that you don’t need to fix it in place with screws or glue like with most indoor and outdoor models. What are the size and lengths available? Although this is a sturdy washing line, one tip is to put heavy items nearer the wall and lighter items on the outside rails. This is especially important if you have cavity walls. Available from: